Indiana delegation reacts to Trump inauguration Watch inauguration parade on WISHTV.com NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s second inaugural address sounded a lot like his first, with a sweeping indictment of the country he inherits and grand promises to fix its problems. Eight years ago, Trump described “American carnage” and promised to end it immediately. On Monday, he declared that the country’s “decline” will end immediately, ushering in “the golden age of America.” Trump added a long list of policies that sounded more at home in a State of the Union speech than an Inauguration Day address. But the broad themes were fundamentally Trumpian, setting himself up as a national savior. Breaking tradition, the Republican president delivered his remarks from inside the Capitol Rotunda due to the bitter cold outside. He spoke to several hundred elected officials and pro-Trump VIPs, tech titan Elon Musk among them. Here are some takeaways from the speech: A promise of an American ‘golden age’ From the start, Trump’s speech tracked his campaign rally approach: big promises of national success due to his leadership, with plenty of sweeping indictments of the status quo. “The golden age of America begins right now,” Trump said after ticking through the requisite nods to former presidents and other dignitaries. He added several more promises: The ”start of a thrilling new era.” A nation “greater, stronger and far more exceptional than ever before.” “Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced,” he continued. “Our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud, prosperous and free.” The underlying presumption, of course, is that Trump is inheriting what he called throughout the 2024 campaign “a failed nation.” He vowed to send troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, boost domestic oil production and impose tariffs to “enrich our citizens.” Trump calls America’s past leadership corrupt Trump described America’s leadership over the last four years as incompetent and corrupt, echoing some of the darker rhetoric he used daily on the campaign trail. He did not mention his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, or any other Democrats by name. But there was no question about whom he was talking. “We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad,” Trump charged. He said the current government protects dangerous immigrants instead of law-abiding citizens, protects foreign borders at the expense of American borders and “can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency.” “All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly,” he said. As of Monday, Republicans control all three branches of the federal government. A perceived triumph over dark forces Even before Trump began to speak, a religious and political ally, the Rev. Franklin Graham, touched on one of the new president’s most common themes – how he’s been persecuted by unnamed evil forces. Graham talked of Trump’s “enemies” and the “darkness” of the last four years for Trump personally. When Trump spoke, he tied attempts to prosecute him for trying to overturn his election loss to Biden into his allegations of “weaponization” of the Justice Department, referencing the federal and state indictments against him. Trump then linked those cases to the attempt to assassinate him in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July. “The journey to reclaim our republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you. Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and, indeed, to take my life,” Trump said. The shooter was an apparently disturbed local 20-year-old man who had no documented ties to the Biden administration, the federal government or any other opponents Trump has criticized. Trump then used striking language to explain how he survived. “I was saved by God to make America great again,” Trump said to applause. Lying about wildfires Trump’s lament about the state of the nation included disbelief that the fires around Los Angeles were still burning “without a token defense.” That’s false. Firefighters have been battling the blazes since they erupted and have made significant progress. The Eaton fire is 87% contained, and the Palisades fire 59% contained, according to CalFire. A peacemaker and a conqueror Trump has vowed to stop foreign wars and celebrated his role in helping implement a ceasefire in Gaza. “A peacemaker and a unifier, that’s what I want to be,” Trump said. Moments later he was vowing to regain the Panama Canal from Panama. “We’re taking it back!” Trump declared, having previously declined to rule out using military force. He pledged to pursue policy that “expands our territory” and to put U.S. astronauts on Mars — a promise undoubtedly popular with Musk, a major Trump supporter who has long pursued the same goal. That cuts to the heart of one of the many contradictions in Trump’s movement. The new president revels in a confrontational, macho approach that revved up his support among young men. His political career has been built on seeking conflict and tearing down rivals. Yet Trump has also positioned himself as someone who’ll end conflicts and usher in peace. A lineup of tech titans The audience in the Capitol Rotunda included some of the nation’s most powerful tech titans, who have moved to embrace Trump since his victory. Alongside Musk were Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook were also in the audience. Musk, tapped along with fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to head the Department of Government Efficiency, had prime seating behind Trump’s children and in front of many of his Cabinet nominees. While the business leaders were allowed to bring their spouses, members of Congress were not. Thousands of his supporters watched a broadcast of the swearing-in at Capitol One Arena instead. A range of reactions behind Trump The Rotunda crowd was heavily tilted in Trump’s favor, most of those in attendance clapping and even roaring during his speech. But one prominent seating section — former presidents, first ladies and vice presidents — was largely muted. After Trump repeated his vow to take over the Panama Canal, complete with the false claim that China runs the intercontinental channel, Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, among others, sat stone-faced, as did former President Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state who lost to Trump in 2016, turned to her left, saying something in former President George W. Bush’s direction. Bush, who was famously reported to have joked that Trump’s first inaugural address was “weird,” was smirking. Less than two weeks ago, Trump was largely ignored at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. Trump chatted with former President Barack Obama, but the rest of the former presidents and their wives bypassed him without a greeting. A different scene indoors Inaugural speeches are traditionally delivered on the National Mall in front of tens of thousands of cheering supporters, many of them average voters from across America, who traveled great distance to witness history in person. Not this one. Trump delivered his speech in front of a crowd estimated at only around 600 in the Capitol Rotunda, which was limited to members of Congress, Cabinet nominees, Trump’s family, business leaders and political VIPs. It’s noteworthy that four years ago, violent Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol Rotunda as members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence feared for their lives. Pence attended Monday, though his wife, former second lady Karen Pence, did not. Speaking to supporters after seeing off Biden outside the Capitol, Trump said he was glad they had moved the ceremony indoors. “We were freezing,” he told them. “You would have been very unhappy.” The second second inaugural The speech had controversial moments, but Trump said afterward that it could have been much more so. Trump headed from the rotunda to the Capitol Visitor Center to thank supporters who had watched his address on screens. Then he gave a speech that was longer than the inaugural and much more freewheeling. The new president said he had wanted to talk about supporting the people arrested for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He did not go there, he said, only because first lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance talked him out of the idea. “They said, ‘Please, sir, it’s such a beautiful, unifying speech. Please, sir, don’t say these things,’” Trump said. “I decided I’m not going to make this speech complicated. I’m going to make it beautiful. I’m going to make it a unifying speech.” Still, Trump made clear that he is going to help supporters arrested for storming the Capitol — “hostages,” he called them — and said that his actions would speak louder than any words. More than 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot, ranging from misdemeanor offenses like trespassing to felonies like assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy. Trump also criticized Biden’s decision to pardon his family members and members of the Jan. 6 congressional committee. He called out Republican members of that committee — former Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — by name. Riccardi reported from Denver and Barrow from Atlanta. A look at false and misleading claims Trump made during his inaugural address (AP) — In his first address after being sworn in on Monday, President Donald Trump repeated several false and misleading statements that he made during his campaign. They included claims about immigration, the economy, electric vehicles and the Panama Canal. In remarks after the inauguration at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, he made a number of other false claims, including one that distorts pardons made by President Joe Biden as he left office. Here’s a look at the facts. Biden did not pardon 33 murderers CLAIM: Trump said Biden pardoned “what is it, 33 murderers, absolute murderers, the worst murderers. You know, when you get the death sentence in the United States, you have to be bad.” THE FACTS: Biden announced on Dec. 23 that he was commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment. A commutation does not exonerate the person. In making the announcement, Biden said: “These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my Administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.” The move spared the lives of people convicted in killings, including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as the killings of guards or prisoners in federal facilities. The three federal inmates that now face execution are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Trump resurfaces false claim about the 2020 election CLAIM: “2020, by the way, that election was totally rigged.” THE FACTS: The election was not rigged. Authorities who have reviewed the election — including Trump’s own attorney general — have concluded the election was fair. Biden won the Electoral College with 306 votes to Trump’s 232, and the popular vote by more than 7 million ballots. Recounts in key states affirmed Biden’s victory, and lawsuits challenging the results were unsuccessful. Nancy Pelosi did not reject National Guard troops on Jan. 6 CLAIM: Calling the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6th Attack on the United States Capitol the “Unselect Committee of political thugs,” Trump alleged that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “turned down the offer of 10,000 soldiers” on Jan. 6, 2021 and that she was “in charge of security at the Capitol.” THE FACTS: Trump has frequently claimed Pelosi rejected his offer to send National Guard troops to the Capitol on Jan. 6. While he was involved in discussions in the days prior to Jan. 6 about whether the National Guard would be called ahead of the joint session, he issued no such order or formal request before or during the rioting, and the guard’s arrival was delayed for hours as Pentagon officials deliberated over how to proceed. In a 2022 interview with the Democratic-led House committee that investigated the attack, Christopher Miller, the acting defense secretary at that time, confirmed that there was no order from the president. Pelosi did not direct the National Guard. However, as the Capitol came under attack, she and then-Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell called for military assistance, including from the National Guard. The Capitol Police Board makes the decision on whether to call National Guard troops to the Capitol. It is made up of the House Sergeant at Arms, the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of the Capitol. The board decided not to call the guard ahead of the insurrection but did eventually request assistance after the rioting had already begun, and the troops arrived several hours later. The House Sergeant at Arms reported to Pelosi and the Senate Sergeant at Arms reported to McConnell. There is no evidence that either Pelosi or McConnell directed the security officials not to call the guard beforehand. Drew Hammill, a then-spokesperson for Pelosi, said after the insurrection that Pelosi was never informed of such a request. Trump repeats unfounded claim about immigrants CLAIM: Trump, a Republican, said that the U.S. government “fails to protect our magnificent, law-abiding American citizens but provides sanctuary and protection for dangerous criminals, many from prisons and mental institutions that have illegally entered our country from all over the world.” THE FACTS: There is no evidence other countries are sending their criminals or the mentally ill across the border. Trump frequently brought up this claim during his most recent campaign. Inflation did not reach record highs under Biden CLAIM: “I will direct all members of my Cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.” THE FACTS: Inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 after rising steadily in the first 17 months of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency from a low of 0.1% in May 2020. The most recent data shows that as of December it had fallen to 2.9%. Other historical periods have seen higher inflation, such as a more than 14% rate in 1980, according to the Federal Reserve. The average price of basic consumer goods has seen major spikes in recent years. For example, a dozen large eggs went from a low of $1.33 in August 2020 to $4.82 in January 2023. They decreased in price to $2.07 in September 2023 but are currently on the rise again, at $4.15 as of December, partly attributable to a lingering outbreak of bird flu coinciding with high demand during the holiday baking season. A gallon of whole milk rose to a high of $4.22 in November 2022, up from $2.25 at the start of Biden’s term. As of December, it was at $4.10. Gasoline fell as low as $1.77 a gallon under Trump. But that price dip happened during coronavirus pandemic lockdowns when few people were driving. The low prices were due to a global health crisis, not Trump’s policies. Under Biden, gasoline rose to a high of $5.06 in June 2022. It has since been on a downward trend, at $3.15 as of December. Promise of an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs CLAIM: Promising to establish an External Revenue Service to collect “all tariffs, duties, and revenues,” Trump said, “It will be massive amounts of money pouring into our Treasury, coming from foreign sources.” THE FACTS: Nearly all economists point out that American consumers will pay at least part, if not most, of the cost of the tariffs. Some exporters overseas may accept lower profits to offset some of the cost of the duties, and the dollar will likely rise in value compared with the currencies of the countries facing tariffs, which could also offset some of the impact. But the tariffs won’t have the desired impact of spurring more production in the U.S. unless they make foreign-made products more expensive for U.S. consumers. In addition, many of Trump’s supporters, and even some of his appointees, argue that he intends to use tariffs primarily as a bargaining tool to extract concessions from other countries. Yet if an External Revenue Service is established, it certainly suggests Trump is expecting to impose and collect many duties. Calls for revocation of EV mandate that doesn’t exist CLAIM: “We will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving the auto industry and keeping my sacred pledge to our great American autoworkers.” THE FACTS: It’s misleading to claim that such a mandate exists. In April 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency announced strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles. The agency says these limits could be met if 67% of new-vehicle sales are electric by 2032. And yet, the new rule would not require automakers to boost electric vehicle sales directly. It sets emissions limits and allows automakers to choose how to meet them. In 2019, Kamala Harris co-sponsored a bill as a U.S. senator called the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act that would have required 100% of new passenger vehicles sold to be zero-emission by 2040. The bill, which stalled in committee, did not ban ownership of vehicles that produce emissions. China does not operate the Panama Canal CLAIM: Discussing his desire for the U.S. to take back the Panama Canal: “American ships are being severely overcharged and not treated fairly in any way, shape or form, and that includes the United States Navy. And, above all, China is operating the Panama Canal.” THE FACTS: Officials in Panama have denied Trump’s claims that China is operating the canal and that the U.S. is being overcharged. Ricaurte Vásquez, administrator of the canal, said in an interview with The Associated Press that “there’s no discrimination in the fees.” “The price rules are uniform for absolutely all those who transit the canal and clearly defined,” he said. He also said China was not operating the canal. He noted Chinese companies operating in the ports on either end of the canal were part of a Hong Kong consortium that won a bidding process in 1997. He added that U.S. and Taiwanese companies are operating other ports along the canal as well. Vásquez stressed that the canal can’t give special treatment to U.S.-flagged ships because of a neutrality treaty. He said requests for exceptions are routinely rejected, because the process is clear and there mustn’t be arbitrary variations. The only exception in the neutrality treaty is for American warships, which receive expedited passage. Trump, complaining about rising charges for ships transiting the canal, has refused to rule out the use of military force to seize control of the canal. The United States built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat. Associated Press writers Melissa Golden in New York and Chris Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.